- [Instructor] David knew
what many did not know. In 1 Samuel chapter 17, the
Israelite army faced off against the Philistines and their formidable champion Goliath. During a visit to the camp
to see his older brothers, David encountered Goliath
for the first time. "The attitude of facing and dealing with anything recognized as dangerous, difficult, or painful instead
of withdrawing from it, quality of being fearless
or brave, valor." That is the definition of courage from the Webster's New World Dictionary. The army of the Philistines
positioned themselves for battle close to the valley of Elah, situated southwest of Jerusalem and in proximity to Gath. Saul and his army gathered in the vicinity with the Valley of Elah dividing them. A champion by the name of Goliath came out of the Philistine
camp daily for 40 days defying the armies of Israel
to send him a worthy opponent. We see what happened to the Israelites when Goliath appeared. 1 Samuel 17, verse 11. "When Saul and all
Israel heard these words of the Philistines, they were
dismayed and greatly afraid." Goliath was nothing to take for granted. The man was truly enormous with a spearhead weighing
approximately 15 pounds and a breastplate
weighing around 125 pounds he measured between 9 and 11 feet tall. It would be unwise to
underestimate him as an opponent. It was normal for everybody
on the field to be afraid. Even the king was afraid. How can normal soldiers even have courage if the king is afraid? On one occasion, when
David was bringing supplies to his three oldest
brothers at the battlefront, he heard the taunts of the giant and saw the fear on the
faces of the Hebrew soldiers. David also could have been afraid because no one respected him. First he was not given any
respect because of his youth. 1 Samuel 17:26-30, Amplified Bible. "Then David spoke to the
men who were standing by him what will be done for the
man who kills this Philistine and removes the disgrace of
his taunting from Israel. For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he has taunted and defied
the armies of the living God? The men told him that is what will be done for the man who kills him." Now Eliab, his oldest brother, heard what he said to the man and Eliab's anger burned against David, and he said why have you come down here? With whom did you leave those
few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption, overconfidence, and the evil of your heart for you have come down in
order to see the battle. But David said what have I done now was it
not just a harmless question? Then David turned away from Eliab to someone else and
asked the same question and the people gave him the
same answer as the first time. His brother thought that he was just a kid
looking for excitement. Also, king Saul thought that David was too young
to go up against Goliath. 1 Samuel 17:31-33, Amplified Bible. "When the words that
David spoke were heard, the men reported them to
Saul and he sent for them. David said to Saul let no man's courage fail
because of him, Goliath. Your servant will go out and
fight with this Philistine. Then Saul said to David, you are not able to go against this Philistine to fight him for you are only a young man and he has been a
warrior since his youth." After a while, Saul agreed to the battle between Goliath and David. Now you would think after this,
David will now be respected but even Goliath, the cause of
the trouble disrespected him. 1 Samuel 17:41-43. "The Philistine came
out and approached David with his shield bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked
around and saw David, he derided and disparaged him because he was just a young man with a ruddy complexion
and a handsome appearance. The Philistine said to David am I a dog that you come
to me with shepherd staffs? And the Philistine cursed
David by his gods." David faced his brother
Saul and Goliath that day. And all three did not
show great trust in him. But why did he keep moving forward? Kicking every disrespect at every turn. Some will look down upon
us for various reasons. For some it may be because
of age, either young or old. "Let no one look down on
you because of your youth but be an example and set a pattern for the believers in
speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in moral purity." 1 Timothy 4:12. It is unfortunate that some individuals unintentionally belittle young individuals by labeling them as
the Church of tomorrow. Additionally, there are those who believe that once a person reaches a certain age they are no longer capable of contributing to their
spiritual community. Some doubt our abilities,
but God is not like men. Sometimes we are fearful because
we doubt our own abilities. We are sometimes like
the Israelites of old when the herd of the evil report of the 10 spies concerning
the land of Canaan. There we saw the Nephilim,
the sons of Anak, a part of the Nephilim, and
we were like grasshoppers in our own sight and so
we were in their sight. Numbers 13:33. The question is why was David
not terrified of Goliath while the entire army of Israel including Saul was so fearful. Reason number one, because
he trusted in the true and living God. 1 Samuel 17:26, Amplified Bible. "Then David spoke to the men
who were standing by him. What will be done for the
man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace
of his taunting from Israel for who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he has taunted and defied the armies of the living God?" Other warriors concentrated
on the dangers of the fight or the spoils of victory
that were still up for grabs. It appears that David was the only one who was concerned about
the honor of the living God and the reputation of Israel. This demonstrates beyond
a shadow of a doubt that David was a man
after God's own heart. He caress about the
things God caress about. He saw the problem in spiritual terms not I material or fleshly terms. When the man of Israel said this man, David said this uncircumcised Philistine, when the men of Israel said, surely he has come up to defy Israel. David said that he should defy the armies of the living God. When the men of Israel
said the man who kills him, David said the man who
kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel. David saw things from
the Lord's perspective, but the men of Israel saw things only from man's perspective. Even when he faced Goliath,
we see the same thing. The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and
the beasts of the field. Then David said to the Philistine you come to me with a
sword, a spear and a javelin but I come to you in the
name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of
Israel whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will hand you over to me and I will strike you
down and cut off your head and I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky in
the wild beasts of the earth so that all earth may know
that there is a God in Israel." 1 Samuel 17:44-46 we can imagine Goliath's deep,
deep bass voice reverberating against the tall hills
surrounding the valley of Elah. The sound struck fear into the heart of every Israelites soldier and probably even some of
the Philistine soldiers. Then David answered with his teenage voice perhaps even with his voice cracking. The Philistines laughed
when they heard David practically screaming
in his cracking voice and the Israelites were both
horrified and embarrassed. David says, "You come to me with a sword with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the
name of the Lord of hosts the God of the armies of
Israel whom you have defied." God makes a distinction between himself and Goliath without giving
credit to Goliath himself to say, I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts is to say I come as a
representative of the Lord of hosts, the God who has heavenly
armies at his command. I am a sent man, a man
on a mission from God. We read, "this day the Lord
will deliver you into my hand." David shows his growing confidence telling Saul he will slay
Goliath is one thing. It is a completely different
thing to tell Goliath he will kill Goliath and to say the Lord would do it this day adding I will strike you and take your head from
you is a nice vivid detail. David was careful to say
the Lord will deliver you into my hand. David was courageous, but his courage came from his faith in God. He understood the Lord was
in control of the conflict. This whole incident made David famous. However, his motivation
was not personal gain. He acted out of a desire
to honor and bring glory to the Lord rather than seeking
recognition for himself. His ultimate goal was
to spread the message that there is a divine presence in Israel that should be acknowledged by all. We read, "He will give
you into our hands." Observe David's humility once more. It isn't he will give you into my hands. David knows that this was an our battle that he fought on behalf of all Israel. If they weren't trusting in the Lord, David would trust for them. Our unwavering faith in God empowers us to resist the devil and his temptations. 1 John 5:4, Amplified Bible. "For everyone born of God is victorious and over comes the world
and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world. Our continuing persistent faith
in Jesus, the Son of God." The second reason David had courage was he built on past experiences
where God watched over him. This is how David replied to
Saul when the king doubted him. 1 Samuel 17:34-37, Amplified Bible. "But David said to Saul your servant was tending
his father's sheep when a lion or a bear came and
took a lamb out of the flock I went out after it and
attacked it and rescued the lamb from its mouth and when
it rose up against me I seized it by its whiskers
and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear and this
uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them
since he has taunted and defied the armies of the living God." David said, "The Lord who rescued me from the pore of the lion
and the pore of the bear, he will rescue me from the
hand of this Philistine." And soul said to David, "Go and may the Lord be with you" Saul was simply telling David
that he has been a soldier for longer than you have been alive. How can you possibly win against him? This demonstrates that Saul only considered the physical
aspects of the battle, neglecting the spiritual dimension. This is generally God's
pattern for preparation. He calls us to be faithful
right where we are and then uses our faithfulness
to accomplish greater things. If David had backed down when
he saw the lion or the bear, he would not be prepared to face Goliath, but he was reliable then
so he will be reliable now. David increases in boldness
as the story progresses. First, he said someone
should fight Goliath for a righteous cause. Then he said he would fight Goliath. Now he says he will slay Goliath. David has no idea that he was being taught to face a giant when he was a shepherd
battling lions and bears. We rarely recognize God's
purpose in our preparation, but David can take comfort in the fact that the Lord has always provided for him and that He will continue to do so. David understood that God's past help was a sign of God's future help. Saul also knew this. Saul had confidence in God because he stood by him In the past. 2 Timothy 4:16-18, Amplified Bible. "At my first trial, no one
supported me as an advocate or stood by me, but they all deserted me. May it not be counted against them by God. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened and empowered me so that
through me the Gospel message might be fully proclaimed and that all the gentiles might hear it and I was rescued from
the mouth of the lion. The Lord will rescue me
from every evil assault and he will bring me safely
into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." David stood when it would've
been tempting to flee. He stood within spear shot of a man who was almost twice his size, a great giant man of war. We must stand against evil and wickedness even when we want to run. Ephesians 6:13, Amplifies Bible. "Therefore, put on the
complete armor of God so that you will be able
to successfully resist and stand your ground in
the evil day of danger and having done everything
that the crisis demands to stand firm in your place fully prepared, immovable, victorious." David succeeded when everyone else thought that he would not. 1 Samuel 17:48-51. "When the Philistine rose and came forward to meet
David, David ran quickly towards the battle line
to meet the Philistine. David put his hand into his
bag and took out a stone and slung it and it struck the
Philistine on his forehead. The stone penetrated his forehead and he fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone and
he struck down the Philistine and killed him, but there
was no sword in David's hand so he ran and stood over the Philistine grasped his sword and
drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut
off his head with it. When the Philistine saw that their mighty champion
was dead, they fled." When the battle was over it was David and not
Goliath who won the victory. We can be assured that God will lead us onto victory if we walk by faith. Romans 8:31. "What then shall we
say to all these things if our God is for us, who can
be successful against us?" 1 Corinthians 15:57 also says "But thanks be to God
who gives us the victory as conquerors through
our Lord Jesus Christ." As Christians let us have the
courage to obey like Abraham, serve like Joshua,
rebuke sin like Stephen, speak the truth like Paul. David stood when
everything told him to run. Through faith, he won a great
victory for the people of God. Will we stand for God? Who will follow Jesus
standing for the right, holding up his banner
in the thickest fight? Who will follow Jesus? Who will make reply? I am on the Lord's side master. Here am I. Courage means standing when
everyone else wants to run, speaking when everyone
else is afraid to speak. Acting when everyone else
is paralyzed by fear. Taking action in the face of danger holding one's character
and moral uprightness when everyone else is
tempted to compromise theirs. We need to understand something. Everyone is afraid at some time or other. We all experience the emotion of fear. Courage is being able to
overcome our feelings of fear and stepping out to do
when we know is right. Even the great lose courage at times, Christians need courage. There are so many times
when we face challenges to our faithfulness and are afraid. Fear will cause persons to shrink from responding to the Gospel. Acts 24:25, Amplified Bible. "But as he was discussing
righteousness, self-control, honorable behavior, personal integrity, and the judgment to come. Felix became frightened
and said, go away for now and when I find a convenient
time, I will send for you." Being fearful will cause
Christians to lose their souls. Revelation 21:8, Amplified Bible. "But as for the cowards and
unbelieving and abominable who are devoid of character
and personal integrity and practice or tolerate immorality, and murderers and sorcerers
with intoxicating drugs and idolaters and occultists who practice and teach false religions, and all the liars who knowingly
deceive and twist truth their parts will be in
the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death." God works miracles people. If you give yourself out to him, He will do wonders through you. What are the motivations
why you should have courage? Number one, you belong to
Jesus, therefore have no fear. Number two, God will vindicate you. Don't be afraid because
the hidden will be seen, the covered will be revealed. What you say, what you
discover from Jesus in private is one day going to be
publicly vindicated. Number three, not even dying can harm you. In Matthew 10:28," And fear
not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul." Your soul is at stake when
you get approval from men. What does that do? You know, the worst thing
people can do to you when they destroy you is
to send you to paradise. The worst thing people can do to you is to dispatch your everlasting
personhood to paradise. Number four, God always stays near you. Matthew 10:30. "But even the very hairs of
your head are all numbered for the Father is sovereign
and has complete knowledge." The hairs of your head are all numbered. Who can number your hairs? No human can number your hairs and to try they would have to get close. It indicates real close, careful, intimate attention and that's the point. Your Father is not far away
when you are suffering. He loves you. He's close. Number five, God governs
your life with loving hands. Believe in God's
sovereignty, people of God. Number six, warnings from Paul. When you first read the word of God, especially when you read Paul and his counsel to his
young disciple Timothy, you can see why courage is required. Many of us sometimes live on the approval and acceptance of others. You haven't grown up enough yet to be your own person in Christ and when you get a dirty look, or roll of the eyes, or a contorted lip, or a word you feel so crushed that you just stop
talking about hard things that might get you rejected. I so long that you will
consider Christ so glorious that his smile would
be worth 10,000 frowns. I hope that you will know the source and depth of courage that you will need when you speak into this situation. 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Amplified Bible. "For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
and accurate instruction. The challenges them with God's truth but wanting to have their ears tickled with something pleasing. They will accumulate for
themselves many teachers, one after another chosen to
satisfy their own desires, and to support the errors they hold. And will turn their
ears away from the truth and will wander off into
myths and manmade fictions and will accept the unacceptable." Number seven, there's a second reason besides Paul's words to Timothy. Why I think this message
on courage is so crucial. It has something to do with
the kind of age we live in. Courageous we stand, Matthew 10:27. "What I tell you in the
dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered,
proclaim on the housetops." So the point of this
verse is open your mouth. So don't yield to the spirit
of the age and be cowards. Be courageous.
